WPY 2012

Father’s little mouthful

A dusky jawfish father is a diligent parent, protecting fertilised eggs in his mouth until they hatch. This male, in the opening of his burrow off the coast of Florida, was aerating his eggs. Says Steven: ‘He seemed unconcerned by my presence and didn’t retreat into his burrow when I started taking pictures.’ Steven used home-made snoots (tubes that control the direction and radius of light) to focus the light on both sides of the jawfish’s face. ‘He couldn’t have been more cooperative,’ says Steve. ‘For the next hour he barely moved,’ more interested in making sure the eggs were rotated and in a good flow of water.

Photograph Details

Commended 2012

Behaviour: Cold-Blooded Animals

Steven Kovacs, Canada

Father’s little mouthful

A dusky jawfish father is a diligent parent, protecting fertilised eggs in his mouth until they hatch. This male, in the opening of his burrow off the coast of Florida, was aerating his eggs. Says Steven: ‘He seemed unconcerned by my presence and didn’t retreat into his burrow when I started taking pictures.’ Steven used home-made snoots (tubes that control the direction and radius of light) to focus the light on both sides of the jawfish’s face. ‘He couldn’t have been more cooperative,’ says Steve. ‘For the next hour he barely moved,’ more interested in making sure the eggs were rotated and in a good flow of water.

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